


Sweet Brothers of Mine

by AtropaSilentium



Category: D.Gray-man
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Canon Compliant, Gen, Lenalove 2019, Mental Breakdown, Sibling Bonding, Takes place after chapter 205
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-13
Updated: 2019-10-13
Packaged: 2020-12-14 02:48:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,363
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21008462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AtropaSilentium/pseuds/AtropaSilentium
Summary: After her makeshift family loses a few of it's members, it's all Lenalee can do just to stay strong. Luckily, she has a big brother she can count on to always be there for her.





	Sweet Brothers of Mine

**Author's Note:**

> This is my entry for Day 6 of Lenalove Week 2019. (October 12)
> 
> Prompts: [Copper] Connections; Kindness; Neglect

Lenalee tried to stifle her own sobs as she looked through some old photographs, feeling both warmth and despair at seeing the faces of her missing friends. It seemed like only yesterday that they were all together, laughing and joking, and teasing each other about stupid things. It seemed like only yesterday, and yet it seemed so far away at the same time. Allen, Lavi, and Kanda were all gone now, doing God knows what, God knows where. 

“Where are you guys?” she whispered through quivering lips, wishing the pictures could come alive and answer her. 

Lenalee didn't know much of anything. Not their location, or the state of health they were in. Heck, she didn't even know if they were still alive. _ Allen. _Allen had been alive when she last saw him. He had been struggling with the Noah inside him, sure, but he had been alive. She could only hope he managed to stay that way after running away and being labeled a traitor by the Order. Kanda and Lavi were a different story, though. Lenalee had been absent when they had gone missing so she only knew what little information had been passed onto her through reports.

Kanda had been tricked into battling his childhood friend, Alma, and was forced to escape through the Ark. He had yet to return, forcing the Order to consider multiple possibilities. One of which she couldn't even bear to consider. 

Lavi’s disappearance was even more mysterious. Some Finders saw the Bookmen being escorted—or forcibly dragged away, depending on which Finder you asked—by the Noah. Since then, the Generals had yet to come to an agreement as to whether they were abducted, or simply switched sides.

Lenalee gazed at Lavi's image, tracing her finger over the picture. She knew from the start that the Bookmen had no true affiliation with the Order. Even though they never said it themselves, she had heard her brother discussing their history as a neutral party with Reever once while she was eavesdropping. Still, the Lavi she knew was her friend. More than a friend even. He was family. 

_They were all family. _All three of them were like brothers. Loving brothers who comforted her in their own ways when she was sad. Annoying brothers who pulled pranks and got into mock fights over petty insults. Loyal brothers who would risk their own lives to protect their comrades. Brothers she would give almost anything to get back. 

A gentle knock on her bedroom door startled her out of her thoughts. “It's me. Can I come in?” Komui asked, tone uncertain.

“Yes,” she choked out, wincing at how pathetic she sounded. 

At least she still had one brother left—her true brother. Komui shuffled into the room, taking deliberate care not to open the door too wide and advertise Lenalee's distressed state to passerbys. He was wearing his usual science department uniform, though it seemed wrinkled in spots, like he'd slept in it. Normally, Lenalee would have questioned whether he was getting proper rest, but she couldn't find the energy to do so this time, opting to just listen to his reason for visiting instead.

“I brought you some tea and scones,” he said, reaching out into the hall and grabbing a tray from a small cart.

She let him carry the tray to her bed and set it down, not opposed to the idea of being spoiled, if only for a while. Her tired eyes traveled over the assortment of goods. They looked tasty, but she didn't know if she had the appetite. In recent weeks, eating seemed much harder than it should have been.

"I bought the tea from your favorite tea shop," Komui explained, pouring her a cup. "The scones were a gift from all the guys in the science department."

"Mm… thanks." 

Komui glanced at her, eyes filled with worry. "If you'd rather… Do you want me to come back later?" he asked, uncharacteristically serious. Far too serious for the geeky, excitable brother she knew so well.

"Stay," Lenalee said in a panic, grabbing onto his sleeve like she had done when they were children. "I could use my big brother right now."

"Of course."

She didn't know which one of them moved first, but the next thing she knew, she was sobbing heavily in his arms. Thick tears drenched his uniform, but he didn't pull away, only holding her closer. It had been so long since she had cried on him like this. Not for a few years at least.

The familiar contact filled her with nostalgia and longing for a time that was long gone. A time where the two of them were still oblivious to the world's worst evils, and monsters were only the stuff of fairy tales. She had already lost so much in her life, she didn't know if she could take any more loss. What was the point in trying so hard when everything she loved disappeared? 

"I wan… ba… I want…" she mumbled between sobs, breaking into hysterics. "I WANT THEM BACK!"

Komui gently patted her head, running his fingers through her green shoulder length hair. "Shh, it's ok. It's going to be ok."

"How do you know that?! You don't know that!"

Her brother was a literal genius, but even he didn't know everything. He could placate her with all the kind words and false reassurances the world had to offer, but they meant nothing if there wasn't any truth to them. _ Nothing_. She didn't want to hear it.

"You don't know that," she accused, body trembling. "The Order doesn't even know where they are so how can you know it will be ok? What if they're…"

"If you think like that you'll only torture yourself."

"What else am I _ supposed _ to think when no one, _not even the Generals_, can tell us what's happening?!"

"Have faith in them," Komui said, pulling away slightly to look down at her with a small smile. "The four of you have such a strong bond. You should know best that they aren't the type to give up."

"I know… I just…"

"Believe in them. If not _ anything else_, at least believe in _ them_."

Lenalee knew he was right. She had trusted them with her life and vice versa so many times before. There was no reason to start doubting their abilities now. Still, it was hard to fight the little nagging sensation in the back of her mind that told her their strength wasn't infinite. 

"I want to trust that they'll come home," she said, calming a bit and sniffling to clear her runny nose. "I want to tell myself they'll be back soon. That they'll all come home one day and everything will go back to normal. It's just so _ hard_."

"I know," Komui said, pulling her back into another hug. "I wish I could do something to make it easier."

She felt a bit guilty at hearing his confession. He was doing his best to comfort her, and all she could do was cry and yell. It wasn't his fault that her friends left. Nor was it his fault that the Order had limited information on their whereabouts. 

"You're already doing it," she said, bumping her head against his chest. "Just being here helps."

"And the scones?"

She couldn't help the small, breathless laugh that escaped her mouth. "And the scones help, too."

Staying true to her word, she plucked a scone from the tray, admiring the beige pastry before taking a small bite. The taste of cinnamon and apple invaded her mouth, making her crave more. It _ had _been a while since she last ate. Too long to be healthy.

"I hope you like them. We bought them from a new bakery in town."

"Mmm," Lenalee agreed, still chewing. "I could eat the whole tray."

"They're yours. Though, it wouldn't hurt to give your lovable big brother a taste, would it?" Komui asked with a grin, back to his usual goofy self.

"Hmm… fine. But only if you stay and help me finish them. Deal?"

The smiles on their faces mirrored each other as he replied. "Deal."  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! This one was kind of rushed so I hope it turned out ok.~


End file.
